But Kaepernick, who is opting out of his contract with the 49ers and will be a free agent, has decided that he will stand for the national anthem in 2017, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Kaepernick no longer wants the past method of protest to detract from the positive change that he believes has been created, per sources.

Kaepernick believes the amount of national discussion on social inequality -- as well as support from other NFL and NBA players, women’s soccer and college and high school athletes nationwide -- affirmed the message he was trying to deliver.